Arconic Grant Reopened-TIME CRITICAL l Events l Team Registration l Program Info
THANK YOU FTC KICKOFF HOSTS
Thank you to our FTC Kickoff hosts for giving our teams the opportunity to welcome in the new season together! Your time and effort in creating a learning and sharing experience for our teams is so very much appreciated by all.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Arconic grant REOPENED – closes Sept. 20
This grant has been reopened for a limited time.
- Team must be located within a 25-mile radius of the Arconic locations within the United States. Link to Argosy locations.
- In Michigan, the Arconic locations are in Farmington Hills and Whitehall
- FIRST Tech Challenge Rookies – $1,000
- FIRST Tech Challenge Veterans – $500
Direct link: Argosy Grant Application. Visit the GRANTS page of the FIRST in Michigan FTC website for details on all available grants.
DonorsChoose:
Attention Teachers: You can create projects for Pitsco and/or Andy Mark materials or robot parts, tools, laptops, tablets, 3D printers, or any other related team materials through DonorsChoose. Get started here.
For the 2019-2020 Skystone Season, REV will sponsor 50+ veteran teams from a variety of regions (our region is “Michigan-FiM”) with $250 store credit for use on REV products. The sponsorship is intended for veteran teams that excel on the playing field while being good stewards of their local FIRST community through sharing their knowledge with other teams.
Fill out the form embedded on this page: http://www.revrobotics.com/team-sponsorship/. Applications must be submitted no later than Monday, September 30, 2019. Teams must be registered for the current season.
SEASON EVENTS
Season events (to date) have been posted on the EVENTS page of the FIRST in Michigan FTC website. There could still be some flux to the event list so check back from time to time. The EVENT REGISTRATION PROCESS has been linked and is accessible from the EVENTS page.
A reminder that FTC teams register for events (competitions) at the local level and not through their Team Dashboard. Event registration is done via a google form that is sent to the Lead Coach/Mentor 1 and 2 for each team. Event registration is anticipated to open in late Sept. Teams must be fully registered for the 2019-2020 season to register for an event. Teams are guaranteed placement in at least one FIRST in Michigan FTC qualifier. The opportunity to compete in more than one is as event space allows.
Highlights:
- We have two back-to-back qualifiers this season. One qualifier will be on Saturday and the other on Sunday, at the same location, servicing two separate sets of teams.
- There will be two FIRST in Michigan FTC State Championships this season. Each State Championship event will be a two division event and each division will host 36 teams for a total of 72 teams per event. This will enable 144 teams overall to participate at the state level of competition (without increasing the wifi load). Both events will be held on Dec. 13-14.
- FIRST in Michigan FTC State Championship-Battle Creek will be at Kellogg Arena.
- FIRST in Michigan FTC State Championship-Warren will be at Macomb Community College’s Sports and Expo Center.
- A given qualifying event will advance teams to one of the state championship events. A list of qualifiers with their associated state championship event will be posted in late September.
- Each State Championship will be a two day event. Judging and Inspections will start on Friday early afternoon.
- The elimination round at each event will use the traditional 4 team alliance format.
REGISTER YOUR TEAM
FTC 2019-2020 season registration is open! It’s important to register early so that enough competitions can be organized to support all of our teams.
The registration guides linked below contain info on establishing a FIRST Account, setting up a team profile, inviting contacts, applying for screening, accessing the Storefront, etc. with screenshots. A quick reference guide for Team Dashboard tasks like inviting contacts, navigating the FTC Storefront is linked: Team Dashboard Guide.
- Returning Teams (veterans) – remember to register using your existing team number. MI FTC Archived Team Lists
- Veteran Team Registration Guide
- Update team contacts – Remember to have matriculating team contacts invite their replacements before moving programs.
- New Teams (rookies) – start the team registration process but DO NOT PAY for anything until applying for the FIRST FTC HQ Rookie Team Grant. Apply for this grant using your temporary team number which starts with “2019”.
- Rookie Team Registration Guide
- See rookie team grant requirements outlined below before paying for anything.
- Team Name is a mandatory field when setting up the Team Profile. If your team does not have a name yet, just fill in TBD. You can update this field at a later time once a team name is chosen.
EXPLORE GRANTS
Visit the FIRST in Michigan GRANTS website page for the latest available grant opportunities. Key elements for most grants:
- Teams must be comprised solely of middle school grade team members.
- Affiliated with a school or established youth enrichment 501(c)(3) organization. A school affiliation maximizes the use of available grants.
- Must compete in a FIRST in Michigan sanctioned event in the given season.
- Rookie team grants:
- New teams are eligible for rookie grants when all existing team(s) out of the same school/organization are registered for the current season.
- See the FIRST in Michigan FTC Archived Team Lists for team lists from prior seasons. The 2nd tab is a historical list of past teams by location/affiliation through 2018-2019 season.
- Team must apply for the FIRST (HQ) FTC Rookie Team Grant to be eligible for the FIRST in Michigan FTC Rookie Team Grant.
- The intent of the rookie team grant funding is to assist a new team with their initial start up costs (FTC registration fee and reusable kit of parts).
- Team members and mentors may move through the program but the team number and kit of parts stay with the school/organization for reuse year to year.
- New teams are eligible for rookie grants when all existing team(s) out of the same school/organization are registered for the current season.
PARTS & EQUIPMENT
- SKYSTONE game elements are available for pre-order from AndyMark.
- Veteran teams are able but not required to purchase FTC Kit of Parts components through the FTC Storefront. Storefront purchases are limited to once per season per component category.
- Discount codes for REV and Pitsco are available through the FTC Storefront. From the FTC Storefront, click on the “SUPPORT” link on the top right corner. Once redirected, scroll down the site page and click on “How to Order Extra Parts” link in the leftmost sidebar. REV offers a 15% discount and Pitsco offers 25%.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Links to program information on the FIRST in Michigan (FiM) and FIRST HQ websites:
- Run a Team – Addresses many FAQs
- Resources – Links to FIRST HQ resources, parts, and vendors, logos, etc.
- Grants – information will be updated as grants become available; check back periodically
- Team Eblast Archive
- FIRST FTC HQ Blog – latest program announcements
- FTC Curriculum – Free curriculum; can be used as a stand-alone course or as a supplement to areas where the team needs extra support.
- Alignment: In Michigan, we run a slightly different progression of programs from FIRST national. In Michigan, FTC is a middle school only program with teams comprised solely of MI middle school aged/grade team members. Teams must be properly aligned in order to be eligible for FiM FTC grants and to participate in FIRST in Michigan FTC events.
- Team Size: FTC team size is capped at 15. Multiple teams out of a given school/organization are welcome and can be eligible for all grants. Please review grant requirements in the above linked doc.
- Team Eblasts. FIRST in Michigan FTC team eblasts (sent from michiganftc@gmail.com) are sent to the Team Administrator and Lead Coach 1 and 2 for each team. The eblast distribution list is pulled from the FIRST Team Registration System, per FIRST HQ protocol, so additional email addresses cannot be added to the FIRST in Michigan FTC eblast list.
